The Central Bureau of Investigation is probing the role of some Uttar Pradesh politicians and bureaucrats whose names figured in a diary seized from the premises of Yadav Singh, suspended chief engineer who faces charges of corruption and disproportionate assets. The CBI will soon file a second charge sheet involving funds to the tune of ₹ 45 crore.
In July 2015, the CBI booked the engineer, his wife, son and daughter and others in two alleged cases of disproportionate assets and corruption.
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Held in February
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The accused, who was the Chief Engineer of Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway authorities in U.P., was arrested by the CBI in February last year.
During searches on his premises, the Income-Tax Department seized a diary that contained names of some U.P. politicians, bureaucrats and about 40 companies. Chits purportedly recommending businessmen for contracts were also found.
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Shell companies
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The Income-Tax Department also collected records of several shell companies that were being used to invest the alleged bribes. The “ill-gotten” money was also used to acquire properties in various names.
It turned out that the accused also used to undervalue the land under his jurisdiction to help his contacts pay stamp duty much lower than the fixed rate. The agency is also probing to ascertain whether money was invested or parked abroad.
Sensitive posts
During his tenure, the Noida Authority had awarded works worth ₹ 2,551 crore to builders and contractors. Between 2008 and 2014, he held several sensitive posts and allegedly charged 5 per cent for the job. The agencies initially suspected that the accused had an undisclosed income of about ₹ 130 crore through commission.
His subordinate and co-accused Ramendra and an accountant Pradeep Sharma had in their statement to the Income-Tax Department confessed that they would receive illegal commissions.